Adult Good Samaritan Award, sponsored by ASRC Energy Services

Kirk McMeen, Juneau

A casual chat with a father in the locker room at the local pool became a justification for having learned CPR for avid scuba diver Kirk McMeen.  As the father changed his infant's diaper, the baby slipped from his grip, falling to the floor, hitting her head, and losing consciousness.  McMeen cried out for someone else who might know CPR, but when no one came to his aid, he began to breathe for the infant himself until the baby took a breath on her own and returned to life, making McMeen a hero for the day.

Military Rescue Award, sponsored by Aurora Military Housing / JL Properties, Inc

Chief Ryan O’Meara and Executive Petty Officer Robert Canepa, Juneau

Carpooling buddies Ryan O'Meara and Robert Canepa of the Juneau Coast Guard were having one of those mornings.  Running late and forced to take an alternate route to work because of traffic, their day took an unexpected turn when a woman flagged them down to help an unconscious man who'd suffered a heart attack.  Working together to deliver rescue breaths and chest compressions, O'Meara and Canepa brought the man back from the brink of death not once, but five times.

Fire Rescue Award, sponsored by International Firefighters Union 1264

Trooper Jack LeBlanc and Trooper Zack Huckstep, Ketchikan

What might have been an accidental call or just another hang-up at the Alaska State Trooper dispatch turned out to be a true emergency, as Trooper Jack LeBlanc discovered last November.  When LeBlanc followed up on the call, he discovered an unconscious woman and her infant inside a burning house.  With the help of a fellow trooper, he faced flames and billowing smoke to save two lives.

Workplace Safety Award, sponsored by ConocoPhillips Alaska

Lisa Sutherlin and Roy Welch, Anchorage

On the rainy Saturday of the annual Family Fun Run, school nurse Lisa Sutherlin thought that, at most, she might have to attend to some slips and falls, or perhaps a twisted ankle, during the festivities.  Instead, she found herself using the school's new automated defibrillator for the first time when a race participant suffered a heart attack.  Sutherlin credits the new AED, the presence of another CPR-certified race participant, and her own training for restoring the victim's heartbeat.

Medical Rescue Award, sponsored by Alaska Regional Hospital

Panna Jarussi, Anchorage

When Panna Jarussi saw the black truck on the side of the road, its front end accordioned into the cab, her immediate thought was that the driver couldn't have survived such a crash.  But the driver, a student at Service High School where Jarussi serves as a nurse, was alive—completely blue, and not breathing.  Using basic CPR skills she says anyone can learn, Jarussi got the young man breathing again, saving his life.

Wilderness Rescue Award, sponsored by Petrotechnical Resources Alaska

Dirk Nickisch, Coldfoot

As the owner and operator of Coyote Air, an air taxi service that takes adventurers into the wilderness, Dirk Nickisch is used to receiving urgent phone calls.  But the one he got last year from a group of women he'd left in the Gates of the Arctic National Park was a matter of life and death:  Jo-Ann Staples had been attacked by a grizzly in her tent and desperately needed medical care.  Acting quickly, Nickisch arranged for an ambulance, then battled thick fog to get to the women in time.

Youth Good Samaritan Award, sponsored by First National Bank Alaska

Araya Flowers and Zack Sebwenna, Anchorage

It was just another day at school for Araya Flowers and Zack Sebwenna until they took a walk down a nearby trail on their lunch break—and were stopped cold by blood-curdling screams.  They sprinted toward the sound to find a young man stabbing a female with a pocket blade, over and over.  Without fearing for his own wellbeing, Zack pushed the attacker off of the victim, while Araya cried out to a passing skier for help.  Together, Zack, Araya and the helpful skier faced down the attacker and helped the victim to safety.

Community Safety Award, sponsored by BP

Krystie DePue, Eagle

Sometimes when an entire community faces devastating disaster, one person must step forward to inspire others to make a difference.  When floods ravaged the city of Eagle, destroying a third of community homes, Krystie DePue couldn't sit by, doing nothing.  What started small—providing breakfast at a neighbor's house for six families—soon turned into running a shelter at the local school, coordinating meal schedules, and working sixteen-hour days, with DePue at the center of the action, helping volunteers come together to save the town.